What's New at TICAL?
What's New at TICAL?
By Michael Simkins, Ed.D.
Director, TICAL
April 6, 2007
Members of the TICAL leadership cadre are selected for their passion and vision for technology as well as their in-the-trenches experience. We are constantly looking for new ways for cadre members effectively and efficiently to share that vision and experience with their peers around the state. Podcasting offers one great way to make this possible.
Radio TICAL is the newest feature on our website. We’re starting with simple one-on-one interviews with cadre members on such topics as integrating technology in standards based curriculum, hiring and keeping good technology support staff, and balancing on-line safety concerns with the desire to utilize web-based learning resources. Learn more by visiting http://www.portical.org/podcasts
Here is a sampling of some of the other new resources that have recently been added to the TICAL Resource Database.
TCO-Initial Hidden Costs
http://sjbrooks-young.com/id13.html
Susan Brooks-Young developed this easy-to-use tool that school districts and sites may download and use to identify upfront hidden costs of hardware and software. To access the tool, click on the URL and scroll down to the appropriate document link.
TechSETS K-12 Voucher Tracking Tool
http://www.techsets.org/files/support/voucher/tracking/TechSETS_K12Voucher_Tracking_Tool.xls
This spreadsheet tool provides a simple method of tracking Ed Tech K-12 Voucher expenditures, as well as compiling the data that will be required for reimbursements. Users should have a basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel. Instructions are provided under the first tab. Note: if prompted, choose “enable macros” when you download the file.
Financial Planning 101
http://www.portical.org/Presentations/brooks-young/
In this 9-minute narrated presentation, Susan Brooks-Young shares practical lessons learned about effective financial planning for school or district technology plans. Topics include laying the groundwork for sustainable funding, total cost of ownership, and value of investment.
Educating the Net Generation
http://www.educause.edu/educatingthenetgen
Whether you call them the Millennials, Generation Y or the Net Generation, those students born from 1982 forward come to school with an “information-age mindset” and a unique set of characteristics that contrasts sharply with previous generations of students. An electronic book, Educating the Net Generation helps you understand today’s students and offers practical suggestions for adapting to them. While many of the examples are drawn from higher education, each has familiar analogues in K-12 schools. You can download the whole book or individual chapters for your own edification or to spark conversation at a faculty or parent meeting.
Boomers, Gen-Xers, and Millennials: Understanding the New Students http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERM0342.pdf
Need to get a quick idea of the contrasting learning styles among Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and the Millennials? Check out this nicely written article by Diana Oblinger.
Adapting to the Schoolhouse What Business Already Knows About The Millennials
What have youth marketers learned that can help educators reach youth effectively? Plenty! With particular focus on “tweens”—kids in the early middle school years when marketers believe lifelong attitudes toward brands form—this short, easy-to-read article discusses marketing approaches and how such approaches might be appropriated by educators to increase the chances of reaching educational goals.
Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the First Student Cohort
http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074005/
The National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance produced this 2007 study of the effectiveness of certain software products used in reading and mathematics education. The report uses scientifically based research methods and control groups. The findings? No statistically significant difference in achievement between the students using the software and those who did not. While there was no overall connection between using the software and achievement, there were wide differences among schools and some interesting differences related to how much students used the software as well as class size.
